Battery storage: when the grid quits, your house doesn't
On the Gulf Coast, outages don't schedule themselves — hurricane season does that for you. A properly sized home battery keeps the essentials on — and lets you use your own solar power in the evening instead of selling it cheap.
Three reasons batteries keep making more sense
Outage protection
Grid outages from storms and demand keep rising. A battery bridges them automatically — no cords, no gas cans, no spoiled food.
Weaker net metering
Many utilities now credit exported solar at a fraction of retail rates. Storing your excess and using it at night beats selling it cheap.
Time-of-use rates
If your utility charges peak evening prices, a battery shifts your cheap midday solar into the expensive hours — automatically.
Whole-home backup vs. the essentials
The biggest battery isn't always the right one. Most families are surprised how far an essentials-only setup goes — and how much it saves.
| Approach | What stays on | Typical capacity | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials backup | Fridge, lights, internet, outlets, garage door — a dedicated backup circuit panel | 10–15 kWh | Most homes: real outage security at the lowest cost |
| Whole-home backup | Everything, including large loads (A/C, electric range, well pump) | 25–40+ kWh, load management hardware | Frequent long outages, medical needs, off-grid ambitions |
| Self-consumption only | No backup circuit — battery purely shifts solar into evening use | 10–15 kWh | Time-of-use rates or weak net metering, where outages are rare |
Our sizing rule: we design from your actual usage data and your outage history — then quote the battery as its own line item. If storage doesn't pencil out for your rates and reliability, we'll tell you to skip it.
Do Texas buyback plans pay batteries more?
Yes — a newer category of electricity plan pays a premium export rate only to homes with a battery, because the provider gets to lean on your stored energy when the grid runs tight. In mid-2026 comparisons, battery-required plans advertised export credits far above standard fixed rates. Add ERCOT's new grid-service programs rolling out for home batteries, and storage is quietly becoming an earning asset in Texas, not just insurance.
The everyday math got stronger too. Standard buyback plans pay well below the 14–16¢ you pay for evening grid power — so every midday kilowatt-hour your battery stores and returns after sunset is worth the spread, automatically, all year. Our Texas buyback plan guide breaks down the current plan landscape, and the calculator shows what your export rate does to payback.
How long does a home battery actually last?
Plan on a 10-year warranty and a slow fade rather than a sudden death — modern lithium units are typically warrantied to retain roughly 70% capacity at the ten-year mark. Since your panels will outlive that, an honest system plan budgets one battery replacement inside the solar system's 25-year life. Quotes that skip that line item are hiding a cost; ours shows it.
Battery questions, answered
How long can a battery power my house during an outage?
A typical 13 kWh battery runs essential circuits — fridge, lights, internet — for roughly a day, longer with careful use. Paired with solar recharging it daily, essentials can ride through multi-day outages. Whole-home backup with A/C needs more capacity; we size it honestly in your quote.
How much does a home battery cost installed?
Most single batteries in the 10–15 kWh range run roughly $10,000–$20,000 installed, depending on brand, capacity, backup configuration, and panel work. We quote storage separately so you can judge its math on its own. More in our battery guide.
Can I add a battery to my existing solar?
Usually yes — an AC-coupled battery works alongside almost any existing system; sometimes a DC-coupled retrofit is cleaner. We assess your current equipment first and recommend the simplest path.
Is a battery worth it without full net metering?
Often that's when it's most worth it: if exports earn a fraction of retail, storing excess and using it yourself wins. Add outage protection and the case gets stronger. We'll run your utility's actual rates in the quote.
Find out what backup actually costs for your home
Solar plus storage, or battery alone — quoted line by line, sized from your real usage, zero pressure.
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